Cal's Projected Depth Chart for Opener Against UCLA

The offense is settled for the most part, but there's uncertainty for starters and backups on defense

Cal defensive end Nate Burrell | USA TODAY Sports

Cal did not release a depth chart for its opener on Saturday night against UCLA, so we made an educated guess as to how the depth chart will look.

The offensive starters seem settled for the most part, but there is a lot of uncertainty on the defense, where the Bears are likely to have just one starting position occupied by a returning Cal starter..

Expected starters are listed in boldface with his backup in light text:

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Jackson Brousseau

Comment: The backup spot is still in flux, with EJ Caminong in the running to play if something happens to Sagapolutele

Running Back

Adam Mohammed

Carter Vargas

Comment: Mohammed and Vargas are both expected to get some carries against UCLA, and there’s a chance Ashten Emory will get in the game too.

Wide Receiver

Ian Strong

Mark Hamper

Wide Receiver

Chase Hendricks

Jordan King

Wide Receiver

Cooper Perry

Quaron Adams

Comment: We expect Cal to start many games with two tight ends, which means Strong and Hendricks would start and Perry would not.

Tight End

Mason Mini

Dorian Thomas or Taimane Purcell

Comment: As noted above, Cal could start the game with two tight ends, which would put Mini and either Purcell or Thomas in the starting lineup.  The Bears could even have three tight ends in the game to begin the contest.  Purcell is the Bears' one true freshman who is almost certain to get significant playing time this year

Left Tackle

Frederick Williams III

Jacob Arop

Left Guard

Tyson Ruffins

Mykeal Rabess

Center

Bastian Swinney

Ashton Rivera

Right Guard

Sioape Vatikani

Ben Howard

Right Tackle

Jimothy Lewis

Mike Klisiewicz

Comment Howard and Klisiewicz did not play at all last season as true freshmen, but may get in there if there are any injuries up front. Daniel McMorris is a true freshman who could work his way into the rotation later in the season.

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DEFENSE

Defensive Tackle

Nate Burrell

Jayden Williams

Defensive Tackle

Jericho Johnson

Ashun Shepphard

Comment: Cal is expected use two interior defensive linemen, two outside linebackers (edges), two inside linebackers and five defensive backs. That’s what Tosh Lupoi deployed as Oregon’s defensive coordinator. If the Bears use three interior defensive lineman, the third one would probably be Shepphard or Derek Wilkins. Burrell missed all of last season with an injury, but presumably is healthy now.

Outside Linebacker (Edge)

Jayden Wayne

Justin Beadles

Outside Linebacker (Edge)

Solomon Williams

Odera Okaka

Comment: Beadles is pushing hard for a starting spot and he could get it before the season is over.  The backup for Williams is unclear and could be Beadles.

Inside Linebacker

Tristan Jernigan

JD McKinley or Kamar Mothudi

Inside Linebacker

AJ Tuitele

Aaron Hampton

Comment: These two key linebacker positions seem somewhat unsettled, and the starters could change during the season. Freshman McKinley is an interesting case, and he could get playing time early in his first college season.

Cornerback

Ricky Fletcher

Daniel Harris

Cornerback

Marquis Groves-Killebrew

Jae’on Young

Safety

Kingston Lopa

Aiden Manutai

Safety

Isaiah Crosby

Michael Hurst

Nickel Back (also called Star)

Cam Sidney

Quimari Shemwell

Comment: Cal is trying to get its five best defensive backs on the field at the same time, so some players may change positions. Lopa is considered an outstanding prospect and he will play somewhere, perhaps in the hybrid Star position if not at safety.  If Lopa moves to the Star spot, Manutai would move into a starting safety position, a spot he manned as a starter last season as a freshman.  Crosby was a starter for the first four games last year, before suffering a season-ending injury, but his status as a starter this season is uncertain.  Fletcher is set at one cornerback spot, but several players may get a shot at the other starting cornerback spot.

Punter

Angus Davies

Place-kicker

Chase Meyer

Towns McGough

Punt Returner

Chase Hendricks

Kickoff returner

Carter Vargas

Comment: McGough has a big leg, so he is likely to be used for kickoffs and for long field-goal attempts. But accuracy has been an issue for him, so Meyer will be used for field-goal attempts of 40-45 yards or shorter. Crosby, Mohammed and others might also be used to return kicks and punts.